Explore a world of cheeses with Cheese Traveler, Trevor Thomas, CCP
Cooking, Pairing, Education
Hello Fellow Cheese Enthusiasts!
Recently I had the opportunity to travel to the South…to be specific, Atlanta, Georgia. Ask anyone their thoughts on the foods from the South, and you will most certainly hear someone speak about Pimento Cheese. I confirmed this with my sister who lives in Atlanta and her husband from Alabama.
Read MoreHello Fellow Cheese Enthusiasts!
The month of July is a time to celebrate!
Canada celebrates Canada Day (July 1st – A day of Unity that brought the three separate colonies of the United Canadas, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into a single Dominion); Independence Day (July 4th – Commemorating a “Declaration of Independence” for the thirteen colonies from King George III and to show their unity, freedom, and independence from British rule; and Bastille Day (July 14th – Commemorates the Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, as well as the unity of the French people at the Fête de la Fédération on 14 July 1790).
Read MoreHello Cheese Enthusiasts!
Upon my desk sits a small stack of French Books with a small bust of Napoléon Bonaparte standing guard proudly over them. While they may be small, they are mighty…
In my many travels, it has been some of the smallest cheeses that have made the biggest impact.
I thought that I might share a few of them today with you:
Read MoreMy granddaughter Kaci enjoys Japanese Anime “graphic novels” (which we called comic books in my day), so she drew this picture of me…and she added that I am wearing a cheese t-shirt, and I am thinking of cheese of course!
I guess that I felt this image would be perfect for today’s story.
Back in the 90’s the term “Virtual Reality” was coined, but due to current social distancing, I am afraid that we will have to continue to live “virtually” for some time to come.
While I have not been able to meet in person to conduct cheese trainings, food shows, etc., I have been able to lead some discussions “virtually”, and while it will never be the same as interacting in person, it is better than not seeing anyone at all.
I thought that I would share some of my recent experiences with you and some of the wonderful discoveries that I have made along the way…
Read Moreguess that I have always had a thing for spices…My first job at a cheese counter was an awakening, not just for the hundreds of cheeses they carried that expanded my sense of taste and smell, but also my sense of wonder. This shop was also known for carrying gourmet foods (mostly from Europe) and exotic spices. By today’s standards they may not have seemed exotic, but for that time in history, they were ground breaking. Where did they come from?...How were they used??...I was intrigued and had to learn more.
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Photo courtesy of mirandadventure
Now that Thanksgiving has past, I find myself thinking about Turkey all the time…No, not the “Plump & Juicy” kind, but the beautiful country of Turkey that is nestled in between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.Officially called theRepublic of Turkey, it is truly a transcontinental country, located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia.
Read MoreFall is finally here! The days are a little shorter and the nights are a little cooler…but there is one other thing that would let me know what time of year it is…Apples! I live in the foothills near an area called “Apple Hill” and every market in the area is overrun with all of the delectable local apple treats that are coming out of this area…
Read MoreThe bartender says, “Wow…you look like you could enjoy a Double…or maybe even a Triple”…and then slides over a platter of Double and Triple Creme Bries!
Sounds great doesn’t it?...But what to pair with it??
We have discussed cheese and wine pairings before, but what about other libations?…
Read MoreJust like a good “Throwback Thursday”, I enjoy looking through some of my earlier posts to see where I have been and what I have already reviewed…One in particular caught my eye this week and I thought that I needed to revisit the region – “Regional Cheeses of the Northeast” was a story I wrote about my travels up to Albany, New York exploring several of the cheeses that could be found there. Right after I re-read this story, I grabbed my keys to head down to visit my local cheesemonger when I stopped to take took a closer look at my “Black Sheep” keyring from Old Chatham Sheepherding Creamery. I knew that this was the cheese lineup that I wanted to share with you today.
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While shopping at Nugget Market (home to one of my favorite cheese counters), I got into a discussion with their specialty cheese manager, Reed Pattison. Reed and I have known each other since 2014 when we were both studying for the American Cheese Society’s Certified Cheese Professional Exam. I am happy to say that both he and I passed the exam and became part of an alumni that only tops 1,000 people across the U.S.
Read MoreHello Cheese Enthusiast!
One of the best parts of summer for me is the ability to grill as often as I want…whether it’s meats, seafood, or cheese. I think its part being outside, part eating healthier, and part trying new recipes and items that I didn’t get to try last year.
Just in case you may have may have missed my July 13th post on grilling, this post could easily be considered “Part II”…
In the last addition I covered Halloumi, Paneer, and “Bread Cheeses.” All of these were cooked on the stove, but for today’s post, I moved outside to the grill.
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Okay, this story could have been easily written in the Spring, but when I happened to visit my local cheese counter at Nugget Market and saw they had a beautiful display of cheeses that were covered in edible flowers, I just knew that I had found my inspiration for this week’s post.
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According to the National Day Calendar(R), July is National Grilling Month. No argument here!!....I love grilling foods and need little or no excuse to fire up the barbeque.
While I am warming up the grill in preparation for tonight’s dinner, I thought I would take a few minutes to look at “Grilling Cheeses”. Americans may love their Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, but the rest of the world has been into grilling cheese for quite some time.
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Love…It starts with the perfect pairing!...and nothing loves cheese more than honey…except maybe wine, but that is a story for another day.
I work in the cheese industry and I can tell you from firsthand experience that people are always asking about the perfect cheese pairing, what item to pair with what cheese, what things don’t go together, the list could go on and on.
Read MoreHello Fellow Cheese Lover!
I just came back from a visit to my three local supermarkets…just trying to pick up a few essentials. I am not sure how the grocery store conditions are near your home, but they are still pretty rough where I live. While it may not surprise me that people are hoarding some pantry stocking items, it does surprise me as items that are abundant as black pepper are out of stock. Hmmmm…that is a head scratcher! Well, while in the spice aisle, I decided to look closer through…
Read MoreHello Fellow Non-Travelers!
As I am entering my fourth week of “Shelter in Place”, I am reading around the country as both dairies and cheesemakers alike are struggling. Unlike a manufacturing plant or a small business, dairies do not have the ability of just “stopping” the milk from flowing. Dairy cows can produce up to 20 quarts of milk per day and they need to be milked. Many of these dairies are in contracts with cheesemakers, so again, it is hard to stop this locomotive, especially when you understand that this situation could turn around quickly and that the demand could then outweigh the supply. Not an easy (nor quick) fix.
So both dairies and cheesemakers need your support!
Read MoreHello Fellow Non-Travelers!
The world sure has changed an awful lot since my last week’s post. Many across the country are experiencing “Shelter in Place” orders, or “Essential Travel Only”…only to find that when you get to the store, many store shelves have been picked clean and retailers are doing the best they can to keep shelves stocked, while trying to keep an unsettled public fed and happy.
When last week’s post came out, we had already been house bound for several days.
We did a lot of cleaning and organizing those first few days, then settled into catching up on a good book, as well as catching up with some good friends and family by phone.
By week two, we had enjoyed some great home cooked meals and had started catching up on some movies/series on Netflix….But what to snack on while watching these? If you are at our house, it’s…..
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Truffle Turophobia?? (Fear of Truffle Cheese?)…Not in this household!!...But what I have learned about Truffles is that people either love them, or hate them with little middle ground if any.
I had been considering writing a blog post on Truffles for some time, but as soon as the most recent issue of Sacramento Magazine showed up in my mailbox, I just knew that the time was now to write the story.
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I am aboard my flight heading home from a team building meeting in Chicago…The *IDDBA cheese merchandising team came to Chicago to gain inspiration from the sights, smells, tastes and sounds of one of America’s great food cities!
Don’t worry, we won’t get in to the classic debate over which style of pizza is best (I will save that for a later post J
Our team ended their day by having dinner at Time Out Market, “a 50,000 square foot industrial hub for chef-driven eats & cocktails with communal seating and a rooftop deck that opened in 2019”.
Read MoreHello Fellow Travelers!
If you noticed like many, the six months leading up to the holidays were completely overrun with social media posts about cheeseboards, building cheeseboards, and using the word “Charcuterie” in as many sentences, headings, and posts as they could…Let me tell you, this will not be one of those blog posts!! Oh sure, I love seeing how creative people can be with designing beautiful displays with cheeses and meats, although many are not practical.
About six weeks ago, I was approached by a retailer that wanted to work with me to create a presentation on building a cheeseboard…
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